When President Joe Biden ascends the House rostrum tomorrow to deliver
his State of the Union address, the buzz will hover tens of thousands of
feet higher, where a Chinese surveillance balloon floated until it was
shot down Saturday off the South Carolina coast.

It’s a distraction Democrats aren’t exactly thrilled about. They’ve been
hoping Biden could use the biggest bully pulpit of them all to tout
their legislative victories of the past two years — moving to cut
prescription drug prices, combat climate change, rebuild the nation’s
infrastructure, tighten gun laws and protect same-sex marriage. They’re
also eager for Biden to highlight a resilient economy and paint a sharp
contrast with Hill Republicans while millions of voters tune in to
watch.

And yet, thanks to the balloon saga, it’s the GOP that’s relishing the
chance to differentiate itself this week.

Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and co-author Rachael Bade discuss what
they'll be watching for as the week unfolds. 

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Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook
Daily Briefing.
Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.